Refrigerated display fixture for food or the like



y 1941- J. SCILKEN 2.248.467

REFRIGERATED DISPLAY FIXTURE FOR FOOD OR THE LIKE Filed March 4, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 lNVENTOR J05PH 56/1. KN

ATTORNE July 8, 1941. J. SCILKEN 2,248,467

REFRIGERATED DISPLAY FIXTURE FOR FOOD OR THE LIKE Filed March 4, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 8, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

REFRIGERATED DISPLAY FIXTURE FOR FOOD OR THE LIKE Joseph Scilken, New York, N. Y. I Application March 4, 1941, Serial No. 381,705

19 Claims.-

The present invention relates to refrigerated fixtures for the display of perishable goods such as foods, and more particularly to counter and It is the present practice in restaurants, particularly of the self-service type, to have a cool counter on which perishable food or food requiring chilling is packed in cracked ice for display and dispensing. Such foods are placed in the cracked ice either directly or in containers or in trays. .This practice, besides consuming a great deal of time and labor, is very messy and the display, after the ice begins to melt, becomes unattractive and unappetizing.

It is an object of the present invention to provide fixtures of the character described by which the costly, time and labor consuming and messy use of cracked ice is entirely eliminated.

It is another object of the present invention to provide mechanically refrigerated cool-counters and Window'fixtures of the character described which permit efiective and convenient disposal of all types of foods, both solid and liquid, both within and without containers or trays and both within and on the surface of the fixture and which maintain such food at uniform and properly chilled temperatures.

It is a'particular object of the present invention to provide mechanically refrigerated fixtures of the character described in which food containing trays may be disposed and arranged and be properly chilled on all sides.

It is also a particular object to provide mechanically refrigerated fixtures of the character described in which fruits, melons and similar circular objects may be displayed and effectively chilled.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide mechanically refrigerated fixtures of the character described in which the food or containers may be maintained in moist contact with the fixture for more effective and efficient withdrawal of heat from the food or the food containers.

It is a general object of the present invention to provide highly efiicient, convenient and generally attractive refrigerated fixtures of the character described which are. of relatively simple and economical construction, which are economical to operate and which maybe easily and readily maintained in clean, attractive and efficient operation.

Several embodiments of display fixtures embodying the principles of the present invention are shown in the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that such embodiments are shown by way of illustration only, to make'the principles and practice of the present invention more readily comprehensible, and that they are not intended to limit the invention to the structural details thereof therein illustrated, as, it is obvious, that many modifications and variations in detail may be made within the spirit and scope of the invention.

In the drawings- Fig. 1 is a broken, top plan view of a display fixture of the present-invention illustrating the arrangement of refrigerating units or plates particularly in connection with the operatively effective provision of openings for food trays;

Fig. 2 is a cross-section of the fixture shown in Fig. 1, taken on line 22 thereof;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view through a refrigerating plate or unit from which the fixtures of the present invention may be' constructed, taken through a refrigerant conduit or duct thereof; and

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a fixture, such as shown in Fig. 1 with all of its sides laid out'flat and with all of the units arranged in spaced relation to one another, to illustrate the method of connection for effective circulation of the refrigerant through the fixture.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary top plan view of the display surface of-another embodiment of a fixture of the present invention in which tray openings of divers sizes are provided and in which there is incorporated one type of plate or unit having funnel like openings for the display of spherical foods such as fruit or melons.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of another form of plate orunit having funnel like openings for the display of spherically shaped food articles.

Fig. '7 is an end view of a spherical food display unit of the type shown in Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 88 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 9 is a planview of a still further form of spherical food display unit of a type in which the funnel-like openings are refrigerated; and

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary'sectional view taken on line I0 0 of Fig. 9.

Generally stated, the present invention consists in the. utilization, exclusively, of refrigerating or cooling plates or units which are generally known as cool pads," in which are provided continuous ducts for circulation of a refrigerant, to construct a display fixture in which the units constitute both the exterior and interior surfaces of the fixture, and in arranging and connecting said plates in such a manner as to provide openings in which trays may be positioned to be chilled on all sides. 1

Referring more specifically to the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the display fixture may be constructed of units consisting of cooling plates I0, each of which may comprise a pair of fiat sheets or walls II and I2, separated by elements I3 to form ducts or conduits I4 for the passage of vaporized refrigerant. In one illustrated embodiment, the cool plates I have their spacing elements I3 formed by pressing out continuous portions of one of the plates, such as I I, along th center part and the edges thereof, and welding the two plates together alongthe pressed out portions I3, thus forming continuous spaces or ducts I4.

In the other form, such as shown in Fig. 6, the

spacing elements comprise spaced indents I3, in one of the sheets such as II, and offset edges I5 along which such sheet II is welded to the sheet I2.

The plates or units It may be made of any desired size, the embodiment of Fig. 1 shown as comprising plates of various lengths, each, having but a single hair pin refrigerant passage or duct I4, with an intake opening It at one end and an outlet opening IT at the other endthereof. r A plurality of the units III may be arranged in a plane to form an upper display surface, generally designated as I8. These units are placed edge to edge and suitably connected in that position to one another as by welding or brackets or other suitable means to form one rigid whole. Other umts I0 may be connected to the top I8, at right angles thereto and to one another, to provide supporting walls for the top, such as the side walls I9 and 20 and the front and rear walls 2| and 22, respectively. These supporting walls may also be rigidly connected to the top I8 in any desired manner.

These supporting walls serve to raise as well as 7 support the top I8 to provide the refrigerated interior space 23 which, when the fixture is placed on a counter or the like, provides a chamber wherein reserve supplies may be kept and chilled by the cold air from the inner faces of the top and sides of the fixture. An opening with or without a door may be provided in any of the side walls for access to the interior.

The units I0 forming the top I8 may, if desired, be arranged and connected to one another in a manner providing openings, such as 24, for receiving food trays 24' which are-seated through such openings into the space 23. In order to obtain sufficiently effective cooling for the trays which are generally open to the air and expose their contents to rapid heat absorption, I arrange to cool the trays, on all four sides as well as on the bottom by the new and novel arrangement of the units In forming the top.

In this arrangement, longitudinally disposed units I0 form the front section 25 and the rear section 26, respectively, along the entire front and rear longitudinal edges of the top I8. If desired and space permits, the rear section 26 may comprise several units III edge to edge, or a unit having a greater number of conduit convolutions, to provide an extended area for food disposal. Intermediate the longitudinal sections 25 and 26 I arranged a number of units I0 perpendicularly to the sections 25 and 26, spaced apart from one another to provide tray openings 28 and forming connecting sections 29 for the front and rear sections 25 and 26, respectively. By this arrangement, any tray placed within the opening has cooling surfaces on all of its four sides both on the interior and exterior of the fixture. I

The units I0 forming the top and sides of the fixture have their refrigerant passages I4, connected preferably inseries by tube sections 30,

.connected between the outlet of one unit and the inlet of another to form a refrigerant circuit. These units may be so arranged to have the tube sections 30 connecting their refrigerant passages as short as possible by having the inlet of one plate disposed close to an outlet of an adjacent plate. The diagrammatical illustration in Fig. 4 shows one arrangement whereby this may be accomplished. Thus the main inlet I6, for refrigerant from a conventional circulating system, is provided in rear wall 22, the outlet of which is connected by a tube 30 to one of the side walls I9, the outlet of which is, in turn, connected to the rear longitudinal plate forming section 26, and the outlet of that is connected to the front longitudinal unit forming section 25. The latter is, in turn, connected to the inlet of the nearest transverse unit 29. All of units 29 are connected in series across the top I8, and the last one is connected to the other side wall 20 which, in turn, is connected to the front wall 2|, the outlet of which is connected to a return in the refrigerant circulating system.

In order to obtain a maximum efiiciency in cooling the trays arranged in the openings 24, the connecting pieces or tubes between the transverse units 29 are preferably curved as a "hair pin" shape, to provide increased cooling, and are offset as to lie closely adjacent to the bottoms of a tray 24', arranged withinthe opening above it, so as to supply a maximum of cooling surface for the bottom of the tray.

The fixtures of the present invention are capable of being made in great variety, particularly with respect to dimensions and with respect to the size, outline and number of tray openings, by varying the number, size and arrangement of units from which they are built up.

One such variation and the arrangement and type of units by which it may be attained is illustrated in Fig. 5 of the drawings wherein two varying sizes and shapes of tray openings, 24 and 28 are shown. Tray opening 24 is similar to the tray openings identified by the samereference I character in Fig, 1 of the drawings, being of generally rectangular outline and being defined on two opposed sides by the longitudinal front and rear sections 25 and 26, on a third side by a transverse spacing or connecting unit 29, extending the entire distance between sections 25 and 26, and on the other side by a shorter transverse unit 29', extending only part-way between the rear section 26 to front section 25,the remainder of such distance being filled in by an edge of a relatively shorter longitudinal unit 25.

The tray opening 28 is defined on two sides by the longitudinally disposed units 25' and 25 and on the other two sides by two of the shorter transverse units 29' or by a unit 29' and a unit 29, depending on the nature of the contiguous area on the side opposite the side of the opening 24. The circular form of the opening 28 is attained by suitably shaping the proper edges of all or some of the units defining it. I Thus, in the illustrative embodiment of Fig. 1, opposed edges of the units 29 bounding opening 28 are of semicircular outline, the portions thereof which are in upper unit sheet,

terfitting of longitudinally and .transversely dis-- posed units of varying sizes, tray openings of many different sizes may be obtained, to accommodate trays or pots meeting every requirement.

In order to effectively chill grapefruit, melons and other spherical foods or objects, which contact the surface of the refrigerated fixture at but a single point, openings may be provided in the fixture top wherein such objects may be partly inserted or seated, so that a' substantial portion thereof will be exposed to the chilled air within the fixture to be cooled thereby; 'As such objects as grapefruits or melons are too small to have receiving openings or seats for them conventionally formed by the spaced arrangement of cooling pads or units, as described above, such openings may preferably be provided inone or more of the individual units II] from which the fixture top i8 is formed, such as in the transverse unit 29', as shown by way of example in Fig. 5.

These seats or openings 33, one or more of which may be provided in a unit, may be formed by cutting out registering circular parts in each of the two sheets forming the unit and welding the two edges of the cut-out in the same manner as it is done along the edges of the unit by ofisetting one of the sheets towards the other where necessary. The openings 33 maybe of suitable size to admit therewithin a substantial portion of the object, such as fruit or melons intended to be inserted therein.

To make such openings or seats of more universal adaptation for objects of varying sizes, a funnel-shaped member, 34, having a reduced opening 35 leading to the interior may be set into the opening 33, so as to retain therewithin the objects relatively smaller than the opening 33 as well as to prevent undue leakage of'the chilled air from the interior when the object seated within the opening 33 is not so perfectly round as to completely seal it.

It will be obvious that by this arrangement the cool air within' the fixture will come in contact with a substantial portion of such object, either directly through the opening 35 in the funnelshaped member 34, or through contact with such funnel-shaped member which in itself may be chilled by thecold air in the fixture interior or by refrigerant circulated about it, as hereinafter explained.

Where openings or seats 33 are provided in a unit l0, it is desirable that refrigerant be circuof the fixture the lower sheet and the two edges welded together.

To insure even and uniform distribution of refrigerant throughout all parts of such unit I0, the refrigerant inlet and outlet-may comprise headers 39, which may be connected to the interior of the unit by several passages or openings the headers themselves having inlets 01 outlets dl, as the case may be, by which they may be connected in the manner described above to the inlets and outlets of adjacent units.

If desired, refrigerant conduits may be provided about the funnel-shaped member by forming the same of two sheets, one of which may be provided with an off-set portion 32, as in the form of a spiral, as shown in Fig. 10, such off-set spiral 42,-constituting a refrigerant passage, which may be suitably connected in the circulating system.

This completes the description of several embodiments of the invention. It will be readily apparent that many variations and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention may be made. Thus, if desired, instead of constructing the top of a plurality of units ill edge to edge, it may be made of a single unit formed of two single sheets welded together which may be provided with suitable'cut-outs for trays or the like with refrigerant conduits provided between the sheets and arranged in such a manner that refrigerant will circulate in a continuous stream around such openings. Such method of circulation, which is equivalent to the circulation in series of the unit-constructed top, will,

likewise provide uniform refrigeration and insure against blind spots or gas locks" which are highly undesirable.

It may here also be stated that display fixtures of various types such as in the form of steppyramids or the like may be constructed in the manner described, namely, by welding a plurality of units edge to edge and connecting their refrigerant conduits in series.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A refrigerated display fixture of the character described having a top section comprising a plurality of plates each having a refrigerant passage therethrough, said top section including plates spaced from one another arranged longitudinally of the fixture and 'plates spaced from one another and connecting the said first mentioned plates to provide tray openings, all of the contiguously arranged of said plates connected latedthrough the unit and around each of said I openings, without interruption. For that purpose, units of special type may be such as the one shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings wherein an up wardly offset S-shape portion, 36 is formed in the forming a refrigerant conduit, which surrounds trated therein, substantially on all of theirsides. If desired, however, a conventional type of unit H! such as the one illustrated in Fig. 6, may be advantageously utilized. Such unit comprises a both of the openings 33 illus- I substantially straight lower sheet l2 and an upper sheet H having downwardly off-set edges I5 and spaced apart indents l3, along all of which the two sheets may be substantially continuous refrigerant passage along the entire plate. In such a plate, openings 33 may be cut out in both of the sheets, the cut-out edge of the upper sheet downwardly offset to meet welded together to provide a g one another and connecting the edge to edge-and their refrigerant passages connected in series. v

2. Arefrigerated display fixture of the character described having a top section comprising a plurality of plates each having a refrigerant passage therethrough, said top section including units spaced from one another arranged longitudinally of the fixture and plates spaced from said first mentioned plates to provide tray openings, all of the contiguously arranged of said plates connected edge to edge and their refrigerant passages connected in series, and means connected to the top for supporting the same in spaced relation to a supporting surface, to permit trays to be disposed within said openings- 3.. A refrigerated display acter described having a top section comprising a plurality of cooling plate units, each having refrigerant passage'therethrough, a plurality of said units being longitudinally arranged, parallel to and spaced from one another, and a plurality of units spaced from one another, connecting fixture the charsaid first named spaced units, to provide tray openings, the contiguously arranged of said units connected edge to edge, tubular connecting elements connecting the said refrigerant passages of the said units in series, the connecting elements between the said connecting units formed in curved outline arranged to underlie the openings between them.

4. A refrigerated display fixture of the character described having a top section comprising a plurality of cooling plate units, each having a refrigerant passage therethrough, a plurality of said units being longitudinally arranged, parallel to and spaced from one another, and a plurality of units spaced from one another, connecting said first named spaced units to provide tray openings; the 'contiguously arranged of said units connected edge to edge, tubular connecting elements connecting the refrigerant passages of the said units'in series, the connecting elements between the said connecting units formed in curved outline arranged to underlie the openings between them, and means connected to the top for supporting the same in spaced relation to a supporting surface, to permit trays to be disposed within said openings,

5. A cooling unit for a refrigerated display fixture of the character described comprising a plate formed from a pair of super-posed sheets, said sheets connected to one another along portions thereof, and spaced from one another along other portions thereof to form a passage for a refrigerant, said sheets having one or more openings therein, the edges of the said openings in the two sheets being connected to one another, said spaced portions arranged to pass about a plurality of sides of the said openings to circulate refrigerant thereabout.

6. A cooling unit for a refrigerated display fixture of the character described comprising a plate formed from a pair of super-posed sheets, said sheets connected to one another along portions thereof, and spaced from one another along other portions thereof to form a passage for a refrigerant, said sheets having one or more openings therein, the edges of the said openings in the two sheets being connected to one another, said spaced portions arranged to pass about a plurality of sides of the said openings to circulate refrigerant thereabout, and a conical inwardly tapering member having an opening on its redluri id end set in each of said openings in the pa V 7. A refrigerated display fixture of the character described having a top section, comprising a plurality of plates, each formed of super-posed sheets connected to one another along portions thereof and spaced from one another along other portions thereof to provide refrigerant passages, at least one of said plates having one or more openings formed in each of these sheets, the edgesof the said being connected to one another, said refrigerant passage in said plate arranged to surround each of said openings on a plurality of sides, said top including plates spaced from one another longitudinally of the top and other plates spaced from one another transversely of the top and connecting the said longitudinally disposed plates to form tray openings-said plates connected to one another, edge to edg and their refrigerant passages connected to form a continuous refrigerant circulating system.

8. A refrigerated display fixture of the character described having a top section comprising 75 openings in each of said sheets a plurality of heat exchange plates, each having a refrigerant passage therethrough, said top section including plates spaced from one another to provide openings, all of the contiguous of said plates connected edge to edge to form a rigid surface, and the refrigerant passages of the said plates connected to form a continuous refrigerant circulating system.

9. A refrigerated display fixture of the character described constructed exclusively of heat exchange Plates, each having a refrigerant passage therethrough, a plurality of said plates connected edge to edge to form a top portion having openings therein and a plurality of, said plates connected edge to edge to said top portion to form depending supporting walls therefor, said openings arranged to have a plate on each side thereof.

10. A refrigerated display fixture of the character described constructed exclusively of heat exchange plates, each having a'refrigerant passage therethrough, a plurality of said plates connected edge to edge to form a top portion having openings therein and a plurality of said plates connected edge to edge to said top portion to form depending supporting walls therefor, said openings arranged to have a plate on each side thereof, the passages of all of said plates connected to form a continuous refrigerant circulating system.

11. A cooling unit for a refrigerated display fixture of the character described comprising a plate formed from a pair of super-posed sheets, said sheets connected to one another along portions thereof, and spaced from one another along other portions thereof to form a passage for a refrigerant, said sheets having one or more openings therein, the 'edges of the said openings in the two sheets being connected to one another, said spaced portions arranged to pass about a plurality of sides of the said openings to circulate refrigerant thereabout, and a funnel shaped member set within each of said openings.

12. A fixture of the character described comprising a plurality of plates each comprising a pair of superposed sheets, said sheets connected to one another along their edga and along other portions thereof and spaced from one another along the unconnected portions to form a passage for refrigerant, the said plates connected to one another edge to edge to provide a top surface and depending side walls and means connecting the refrigerant pasages of the said plates to one another.

13. A cooling surface for a refrigerated display fixture comprising a rigid member formed from superposed sheets connected to one another along portions thereof and spaced from one another along other portions thereof to form a passageway for refrigerant, said member having one or more openings therein constructed to receive objects to be cooled, said passageway arranged to substantially surround said openings, whereby refrigerant may be circulated about said openings, and side walls cooperating with said surface to form a refrigerated space into which the object received in said openings my project. 14. A display -structure comprising a top wall element and a plurality of depending side wall elements cooperating therewith to form boundary walls of a refrigerated space, said top wall element being provided with opening means, having edge portions be cooled and permit said objects to project into said refrigerated space; each wall element comarranged to support objects to prising a pair of sheets one superimposed on the ant passage extending through the element from the inlet to the outlet thereof.

15. A display structure comprising a top wall element and a plurality of depending side wall elements cooperating therewith to form boundary walls of a refrigerated space, said top wall elem'ent being provided with opening means,-having edge portions arranged to support objects to be cooled and permit said objects to project into said refrigerated space; each wall element comprising a pair of sheets one superimposed on the other and said sheets so shaped and connected togetheras to provide a clearly defined refrigerant passage extending through the element from the inlet to the outlet thereof, and substantially surrounding such opening means.

16. A refrigerated fixture of the character described, comprising a hollow body having a top section and depending side sections adapted to support the top section, said sections including heat exchange plates, each having a refrigerant passageway therethrough, said passageways connected to one another to form a continuous refrigerant passage.

1'7. A'refrigerated display fixture, including a rigid member formed from superposed sheets having registering openings'therein, said sheets connected to one another along their edges and along the edges of the openings and spaced from one another along other portions thereof to form a passageway for refrigerant and a depending hollow frustro-conical member set in each of said openings in the member.

18. A refrigerated display fixture, including a rigid member formed from superposed sheets having registering openings therein, said sheets connected to one another along their edges and along the edges of the openings and spaced from one another along other portions to form a passageway for refrigerant, cooperating wall members connected to said rigid member to maintain the said rigid member in elevated position and a hollow frustro-conical member set in each of said openings and extending below said member.

19.v A refrigerated fixture of the character described having a top section comprising a plurality of individual plates of predetermined varying sizes, each of said plates having a refrigerant passage therethrough, said plates spaced from one another and arranged to form openings of varying sizes, all contiguously arranged of said plates connected edge to edge and their refrigerant passages connected to one another to form a continuous passageway for refrigerant.

JOSEPH SCII'LKEN. 

